Participant

Answered

PDF from Autodesk Revit

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
March 29, 2017
5 replies
38514 views

When trying to create a PDF from Autodesk Revit (2017) using acrobat DC or Acrobat XI using the print to Adobe PDF function. The file destination is on a second hard drive in my PC, not the root drive (C:) The first attempt usually does not generate a file, PDF, at all. The screen does flash and shows a progress bar, nut nothing is created. On the second attempt a PDF is usually generated and the progress window shows the sheet count as they are created.

I troubleshot this issue for 2 hours with Autodesk tech support. We installed all updates for Revit and Acrobat. Results are the same.

Please Help or help me escalate this issue, I waste a lot of time not generating PDFs.

Correct answer Dov Isaacs

I have looked at the Autodesk article cited as well as the postings on Autodesk's forums.

(1) Clearly the problem started with recent versions of Autodesk Revit beginning in 2016 and continuing on through at least the current 2017 release. The variable here appears to be Autodesk Revit, not Adobe Acrobat.

(2) Revit creates PDF with Acrobat via printing to the Adobe PDF PostScript printer driver instance in which content provided by Revit is converted to PostScript with the driver itself (a Microsoft component) which is then fed into Acrobat Distiller (a component of Adobe Acrobat) which converts the PostScript to PDF. It is in either the creation of the PostScript or in the Distiller.

(3) CAD software typically produces very verbose output, exceptional numbers of line segments and itsy-bitsy filled polygons which in turn produces even more complex PostScript and PDF, even for simple models. For complex models, the output is just that much more in size and complexity. In the description of the problem Autodesk's article specifically points to model complexity as a major factor in the symptoms occurring or being alleviated.

(4) Autocad itself acknowledges that the problem occurs with at least one other third party PDF driver / creator.

(5) We have no idea where the issue is since as far as I know, Autodesk has not reached out to Adobe to assist in troubleshooting the issue. We would need Autodesk's active assistance in terms of providing software and sample problematic files for anyone at Adobe to be able to even begin helping Autodesk to resolve the issue. Again the problem could be in Revit in terms of how it interacts with the print driver, Microsoft in terms of how the PostScript driver is converting the print stream from Revit to PostScript, or less likely, some internal limitation or problem within Distiller.

This is not just “a critical issue for Adobe” but rather, a critical issue for Autodesk that we would like to assist our mutual customers overcome. Maybe you and other Revit customers can convince Autodesk to reach out to us?

- Dov

PS: One thing you can do to help troubleshoot the problem is to try changing the Adobe PDF PostScript printer driver to temporarily point to port FILE: instead of port Adobe PDF. This will cause the driver to simply produce PostScript and not go onto the Acrobat Distiller conversion of PostScript to PDF. If the creation still takes a very long time, or hangs, or otherwise fails, the problem has nothing whatsoever to do with Adobe Acrobat. If you can try this, let us know the results!!!

S

StanZman3

Participant

Wow, it's been nearly 3years since this complete waste of time has been reported and neither Adobe or Autodesk done a thing about this simple problem. Maybe somebody should notifiy their stockholders that both Adobe and Autodesk are not doing anything about a serious problem for their end users.
I guess the solution is boycott Adobe and AutoDesk products until they pay attention to their customers?

M

multitalented_Harmony7991

Participant

Three weeks shy of EIGHT YEARS, now. The productivity "losses" to Time and Pain are not really losses at all:

Adobe net worth as of March 06, 2025 is $198.93B.

Autodesk has a market cap or net worth of $55.24 billion as of March 7, 2025.

~~Guys, if you're going to bend us over a barrel, at least show us the fifty states. Oh, you won't? Ok, fine, sorry I asked.~~

You're welcome.

S

stunston

Participant

Try print preview first, then print as normal.

Been fumbling with this for a while and it would work sometimes, seemingly randomly. The last few times it DID work was after looking at a print preview. Don't know how that would make a difference but... any strange ritual to appease the tech gods.

M

martin flyr27409207

Participant

Hi GPyles, Dov, Hux01 & others

Thanks for addressing a problem that has been known to be common among architects and others creating PDF from Revit

Problems when creating PDF from the printmenu in Revit... again in the 2018 pack

When I try to print several sheets combined in one PDF file, just as I normally send a print job to a Xerox, it would often stop in the process without notice.

It is rather frustrating that nobody at Adobe or Autodesk seems to have taken proper action to fix this issue.... Worldwide leading companies, each in their field, too big to actually care??

I have found that the graphic display menu in Revit might cause part of this problem: When "ambient shadows" are added to a hidden line view, the print process bar will always stop just in the beginning, and no information is available to solve the problem, or even to follow the process, has it stopped or is it just slow? This is simply not good enough, not even form a freeware program standard, at least a time out warning or failure popup should show?

To avoid the 100% chance of problems, remove ambient shadows before printing. If you want to make sure the PDF is created, avoid several complex views in the same sheet, and print sheets to PDF separate, one at a time...

May this suggest that a memory limit in the printjob handeling is set too small?

I would appreciate any suggestions to solve this problem!

Best Regards

Martin

Dov Isaacs

Legend

Martin,

With all due respect, what exactly do you think Adobe can do to assist here? This is code within Revit and something that Adobe has absolutely no control over.

- Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)

M

martin flyr27409207

Participant

Dear DovI am truly sorry if I have let my frustration carry me away from the subject. I have spent hours trying to make this work. Again. However, my question is:Can i, with my acces to controls in the adobe print menu, adjust the assigned memoryspace, or any other parameters that could adress this problem? Thank you for you quick response to my desperate e-mail. Best regards, Martin

Sendt fra min Samsung Galaxy-smartphone.

Dov IsaacsCorrect answer

Legend

I have looked at the Autodesk article cited as well as the postings on Autodesk's forums.

(1) Clearly the problem started with recent versions of Autodesk Revit beginning in 2016 and continuing on through at least the current 2017 release. The variable here appears to be Autodesk Revit, not Adobe Acrobat.

(2) Revit creates PDF with Acrobat via printing to the Adobe PDF PostScript printer driver instance in which content provided by Revit is converted to PostScript with the driver itself (a Microsoft component) which is then fed into Acrobat Distiller (a component of Adobe Acrobat) which converts the PostScript to PDF. It is in either the creation of the PostScript or in the Distiller.

(3) CAD software typically produces very verbose output, exceptional numbers of line segments and itsy-bitsy filled polygons which in turn produces even more complex PostScript and PDF, even for simple models. For complex models, the output is just that much more in size and complexity. In the description of the problem Autodesk's article specifically points to model complexity as a major factor in the symptoms occurring or being alleviated.

(4) Autocad itself acknowledges that the problem occurs with at least one other third party PDF driver / creator.

(5) We have no idea where the issue is since as far as I know, Autodesk has not reached out to Adobe to assist in troubleshooting the issue. We would need Autodesk's active assistance in terms of providing software and sample problematic files for anyone at Adobe to be able to even begin helping Autodesk to resolve the issue. Again the problem could be in Revit in terms of how it interacts with the print driver, Microsoft in terms of how the PostScript driver is converting the print stream from Revit to PostScript, or less likely, some internal limitation or problem within Distiller.

This is not just “a critical issue for Adobe” but rather, a critical issue for Autodesk that we would like to assist our mutual customers overcome. Maybe you and other Revit customers can convince Autodesk to reach out to us?

- Dov

PS: One thing you can do to help troubleshoot the problem is to try changing the Adobe PDF PostScript printer driver to temporarily point to port FILE: instead of port Adobe PDF. This will cause the driver to simply produce PostScript and not go onto the Acrobat Distiller conversion of PostScript to PDF. If the creation still takes a very long time, or hangs, or otherwise fails, the problem has nothing whatsoever to do with Adobe Acrobat. If you can try this, let us know the results!!!

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)

H

hux01

Participant

Hi Dov,

While the problem is Autodesk related, the outcome is for us to cancel our Acrobat subscription and use one of the many other PDF printers that DO work (my subscription to Adobe is primarily for PDF printing from my programmes).

May I suggest for the sake of company sales that ADOBE reaches out to Auto desk to try and find a solution?

Dov Isaacs

Legend

I wish it was that simple. Autodesk acknowledges the problem. The problem occurs with other products that similar to Acrobat, convert PostScript from Revit to PDF. The solution for Autodesk is to either directly generate PDF or to produce much more efficient PostScript and/or driver calls.

There is nothing that Adobe can really do here in terms of reaching out. It is strictly a matter of Autodesk making the fix a priority on their side.

- Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)